August 30th

“You will lie down, and no one will make you afraid; many will entreat your favor.” Job 11:19

told whom to fear,
what to be afraid of,
who is coming after us,
who we must blame,
has become our new currency—
shared from screen to screen,
screed to screed,
street to street.
but if we dare to dig beneath
the bitterness and sound bites,
the outrage and never-ending quarrels,
we might just hear that ancient promise—
‘you will lie down
and no one can make you afraid.’
not because the world has shouted
‘olly, olly, oxen free,’
or that justice no longer matters,
but that we don’t give fear power
over how we choose to live.
this morning, every morning
this day, every day,
this night, every night
ay fear not have the last word,
as we live in courage,
we give away compassion,
we share in the quiet conviction
that we belong to one another—
and that God’s grace
is still wider than our fear.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

August 29th

 "'Why did you bring me forth from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me,'" Job 10:18

if you think i am good at complaining,

it's because i learned from the best.

those ancestors whose photos have

faded over the years until they look

like the dirt of Sinai they carried on

their sandals and clothes for decades.

it's from listening to the stories 

that the disciples forgot to redact

from the good news books 

they were so quick to self-publish,

with those clueless comments 

when they couldn't understand 

those simple, everyday stories you told,

or those knuckleheaded challenges

they threw in your face when you

let slip that your journey was going

to end with you crossing over into

a different sort of promised land.

so,

when i whine (and i will)

when i grumble (too many times)

when i murmur under my breath

thinking you can't read my lips,

be as patient, as forgiving,

as willing to stick with me 

like you were with all those 

whose words i am just repeating

(even though i think they are brand new).

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 28th

 "'If he would take his rod away from me, and not let dread of him terrify me, then I would speak without fear of him, for I know I am not what I am thought to be.'" Job 9:34-35

it was not out of faith
i began to follow you

but out of pure fear, of

all those terrible things 

dumped on me by folks

who crafted you out of the 

monsters of their own ids

and the preachers who were

simply echoing what they heard

sitting on those same hard pews

which became warmer with every word.

they still show up in the moments

when i wake up to stare into 

the shadowed future i cannot see,

those ghosts of worship past,

walking, watching, whispering.

but then,

i glance over and notice 

that rod which a young carpenter 

repurposed into a yoke

so we could journey together, 

i see you sitting in the corner,

draped in the warm shawl of grace

knitted by your gentle Spirit, just

waiting for me to listen to your

deepest hopes for me.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 27th

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouts of joy. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more." Job 8:21-22

sorrow takes up far
too much room and delight
is like the stranger at our door,
so perhaps it is time
to go back to school
and relearn how to speak joy
once again for, as Job reminds us,
God remembers our laughter
and will let it slip back into our lives—
quiet as a friend’s surprising kindness,
gentle as sunlight tiptoeing
along the kitchen floor,
graceful as the song
which reminds us of
a treasured memory,
the soft moment when
when remember we are still here.
which might be all we need--
leaving the space
for laughter to slip in ,
learning to trust the God
who cradles our tears
longs to put a smile
back on our faces.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:@Thom-Shuman

August 26th

“If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of humanity? Why have you made me your target? Why have I become a burden to you?” Job 7:20

blessed be Job who,
whether foolishly or courageously,
dares to ask God that question
we are too afraid to speak:
‘do we burden you, Holy One?’
and perhaps, in that moment,
grace begins—
not in the pause which just sits there,
but in the realization that
God is not afraid of the question.
for grace does not tell us
to stop asking questions,
it whispers of burdens shared,
reminding us that even when
we think God is not there,
when our prayers feel like
rocks skipped across ponds
until they sink,
God’s heart always turns
toward us, for God loves us
when we are shattered,
when we are filled with rage,
when all we can do is ask why—
which may be all we need
in such moments, to trust
God has not let go of us.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 25th

"When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?'" John 6:60

on a scale of 1 to 10
with 10 being how much
we can love our selves,
loving you is (we hope) 7.5,
loving our neighbors 5.6
(on really good days), but
loving our enemies . . .
does a negative number count?
and while we might manage
a $10 weekly pledge on a
pretty regular basis, and if
we make it big in life, we
can probably stretch to a tithe,
are you serious or just delirious
about giving away everything?
but then, as we grow older,
if we pay attention to all the
broken promises, the hollow words
of everyone around us, maybe
we can finally grasp the truth
that your words, your uncomfortable
and challenging and (yes) dangerous
words
are those which give us the life we
need.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 24th

"O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
   my sighing is not hidden from you." Psalm 38:9

convinced they know me
so well, they easily accept
those answers of how fine
i am doing, or that life is
simply going along swimmingly.
but i have become so adept
at keeping secret what is
lodged in my heart, i am
so cautious in letting anyone
get near my soul, for fear
they would hear the rattling
of the skeletons which are
not bones and the whispers
of ghosts which abide in me.
yet,
like an oyster farmer who knows
that there is a pearl of grace
deep within my crusty shell,
like a teacher who realizes
that the smiling child who never
says anything in class has
stories which will melt one's heart,
you calmly, patiently, persistently
wait, until we are ready to open up.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 23rd

"If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended? But who can keep from speaking?” Job 4:2

that old question from a dusty book
seems strangely modern, doesn’t it?
for in this moment when
almost any word can hurt,
any disagreement becomes
a declaration of war,
and uncomfortable truths
are just offenses waiting to happen,
we tend to hesitate.
but perhaps we just need to
speak – but gently as we can,
listen – as deeply as we can,
and when someone
(especially a friend) 

says something
we don’t want to hear,
leave some room for grace.
because usually,
the most loving thing
we dare offer to another
is not total agreement,
but the courage
to speak the truth
and the humility to hear
without getting all bent
out of shape.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman